Unfelt
by Krissey-da-Cougar
Summary: Shadow is on his way to his favorite spot when he sees someone there already. Surprisingly, it's that blue hedgehog. The two engage in a conversation that reveals Sonic's past. Rated higher just to be safe.


Shadow took in a deep breath, inhaling the damp, night air. He wanted to go to his favorite spot, where he could think without being interrupted, where he could dream about being with Maria again, where he could imagine she was there laying beside him, and talking again.

The ebony hedgehog looked above him as he walked. The stars were out tonight. Good. It always made him feel better seeing the stars. He had no idea why, though. Maybe it was just because they gave him a sense of someone there with him, a sense of not being alone. Or maybe it was because Maria would want the stars out tonight as well.

Shadow looked ahead at his special place, and immediately froze. Someone else was there. Because of the dim light, he couldn't exactly see who it was. But he could make out the outlines of the sitting figure, and who he found shocked him.

It was Sonic.

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows. What was Sonic doing here? Shadow's ears twitched. Was that…someone talking? The ebony hedgehog looked at Sonic, and saw his mouth moving. Another question entered Shadow's mind: what was Sonic saying?

Quietly, Shadow walked up to Sonic, hoping he could hear without being noticed. Finally, he got to a range where he could. His ears picked up everything.

"…and then we'll be together again, right?" He heard Sonic sigh, and saw him pick at the grass below. "No…we couldn't…we were to live in different worlds…" Another sigh. "…and I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let Earth down…I had to stay…" A sniff. _Wait a minute, _Shadow thought. _Is Sonic…crying?_ "'Cause after all…it was my fault…"

What was his fault? Shadow furrowed his eyebrows. This made no sense at all!

Another sniff. He saw Sonic wipe his hand underneath his nose. "Now is not the time to cry, Sonic!" he heard him scold himself. "Besides…Shadow's had a worst past, hasn't he? And he doesn't cry! Why should you?" Sonic sighed and looked down. The blue hedgehog wrapped his arms around his already pulled-up-to-his-chest-legs, and started to rock back and forth. To Shadow, this seemed like a childish act.

Sonic sighed. "I miss you all…I wish you were here…"

Shadow was confused. Who was Sonic talking to?

Suddenly, Sonic looked around, eyes wide. Seemingly content, he relaxed. Shadow waited for a few minutes, seeing if Sonic would do anything, but no. Finally, the blue hedgehog stood up, ready to leave. When he turned around, his eyes went wide.

"Shadow! What are—" the blue hedgehog stopped. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know that something's wrong," Shadow crossed his arms on his chest.

Sonic seemed tense. "Something's wrong? Eh heh…nothing's wrong! I'm just…tired! That's all." The blue hedgehog laughed, trying to sneak past the black hedgehog, but it was no good. Shadow knew what Sonic was trying to do (he'd done it many times before).

Shadow held his arm in the way of Sonic's path.

"Sonic…" he muttered.

Sonic sighed. "What?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest and tapping his foot.

"Don't give me that look, blue hedgehog. It's not going to slip past me," Shadow informed.

Sonic didn't answer. He kept tapping his foot. After a while, he asked, "Can I go now?"

"No. You are going to answer some of my questions first," Shadow said.

Sonic sighed. "Do I HAVE to?"

Shadow stared at Sonic who at that split second sounded like an 8-year-old who didn't want to go to school.

"Yes," he answered.

Sonic rolled his eyes, but followed the ebony hedgehog as he sat down in his favorite spot. Sonic sat down as well.

"Now, first of all, who were you talking to?" Shadow asked.

Sonic's eyes went wide and his arms dropped from their position. "You heard me!"

Shadow sighed. "I thought we already knew that."

Sonic looked down. Shadow tried again. "Who were you talking to?"

"Someone," was the quiet response. "Can I go?"

Shadow gritted his teeth, keeping his frustration inside. "Please, Sonic. You're making this harder than it should be!"

No response. The blue hedgehog kept his green eyes fixed on the grass below.

"Who were you talking to?" Shadow asked again.

"I already answered that. Someone," Sonic answered.

Neither of them was liking this moment one bit.

"Why won't you just tell me?" Shadow asked.

"Because I don't want to!" Sonic answered, looking up.

"And why not?"

"Because I miss them too much!"

Sonic covered his mouth. Finally, he looked away shamefully. Shadow didn't understand. Why was it such a bad thing to miss someone? Gently, he laid a hand on the blue hedgehog's shoulder. Sonic kept his head down, but looked up with his eyes.

"I miss someone as well, Sonic. You should know that. I understand how it feels to miss someone dearly, but we have to move on," Shadow gave a smirk. "In fact, I think you were the one who told me that!"

Sonic tried to hide his smile.

Shadow sighed. "Would it make you feel better if I told you about Maria first?"

Sonic brought his head up, surprised. "You'd…tell me about Maria?"

Shadow nodded.

Sonic thought for a moment. Then, he nodded. "But first, Shadow, I have a question: was Maria…like a mother to you?"

Shadow was taken aback by Sonic's question. "Well…" he began. "I never thought of it that way, but, now that you bring it up, yes. She was like a mother." A sad smile appeared on his face. "The best mother anyone could ever have…"

Shadow turned to the blue hedgehog and began his tale.

"Maria was the kindest person I ever knew. She was always caring and generous, always willing to think of others before herself. In fact, whenever I would get in trouble, as a kid, she would take the blame…"

"Wait a minute, I thought you didn't age!" Sonic interrupted.

"I don't," Shadow answered.

"Well, then how come you—"

"After Black Doom left, the professor had thought for a moment. After a while, he was struck with a thought, and instantly made me a baby hedgehog. He programmed me to grow until I reached the certain height as I am now, and then stop. I still never age, but I was able to experience life as it was being a naïve child…" Shadow explained.

Sonic was listening intently, so Shadow continued.

"Maria took care of me, as the professor wished she would. She was so gentle and her voice was so soothing…and you know what? She was the best storyteller I ever knew. She read the stories with such excitement and enthusiasm, and even made her voice change for the different people. Sometimes, she over-exaggerated the voices, and it made it all the more fun. But in her eyes, you could tell she was even having more fun than I. That was her joy. Making people happy. Hearing them laugh was music to her ears. Her love for people's joy is what kept earth alive, if you think about it," Shadow informed.

Sonic nodded, and was waiting for Shadow to continue.

The ebony hedgehog said nothing.

"…aren't you going to continue?" Sonic asked.

Shadow shrugged. "What else is there to say? Everything else you know."

Sonic held a finger up. "Actually, there is something I don't know."

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "What's that?"

"How living your past felt. I don't know what it was like to be in that situation, so therefore, I don't know everything about your past," Sonic smiled, feeling triumphant.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "Nobody's going to know that, Sonic."

Sonic shrugged. "Oh well. At least I proved my point."

Silence lasted a moment, and finally Sonic stood up. "Well…it's been nice talking to ya, Shads. I'm gonna go—WAH!"

In one swift move, Shadow tripped Sonic.

"Don't think you can escape that easily, hedgehog. We had a deal, remember?" Shadow informed.

Sonic grumbled. "Fine…I'll tell…"

Shadow seemed satisfied, and Sonic explained. "The person who I was talking to was my sibs—"

"Whoa, wait, you have brothers and sisters?" Shadow asked, surprised.

Sonic nodded. "I'm actually a triplet. My brother and sister are also apart of it."

Shadow's eyebrows raised. Wow. That isn't something you hear everyday.

"What were their names?" he asked.

"Manic and Sonia," Sonic answered.

"Where are they now?"

No answer. Then, it struck Shadow. _"…and then we'll be together again, right? No…we couldn't…we were to live in different worlds…"_

"They live somewhere else…?" Shadow asked.

Sonic nodded.

"Where?"

The blue hedgehog sighed. "Back on Mobius…our home planet."

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows. "Why?"

"They're royalty."

Shadow was taken aback. "They're WHAT?"

"Royalty. They are now officially King and Queen of Mobius. They rule the throne together—just like the prophecy," Sonic informed.

"Prophecy? What prophecy?" Shadow asked. "And, if you are their triplet, then why aren't you—" Another remembrance. _"…and I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let Earth down…I had to stay…"_

"Ruling with them?" Sonic answered. He shook his head. "I'll get to that later—that is, if you want me to tell you—but as for the prophecy, there was an ancient prophecy about the Council of Four and about how three decendents of Queen Aleena must take the throne. The catch was: we couldn't see our mother or else the prophecy would be ruined. We were to meet at the desired time…"

"Well…then what did your mother do with you three?" Shadow inquired.

"She separated us. Sent us away. Sonia was sent to an Aristocratic family, where she learned to play the piano very well. Manic was actually kidnapped from the family he was supposed to be with by thieves. He grew up with them, and learned about their sly ways. As for me…I was sent to a foster home that burnt down when I was three," Sonic explained.

"Where did you go after the foster home?"

"I ran to my Uncle Chuck and lived with him," Sonic answered.

"So let me get this straight: you are a prince?" Shadow asked.

Sonic thought a minute. "Well…not really. I'm royalty, yes, so I guess you could say I'm a king, but not really…"

Shadow's eyes went wide. Sonic…royalty? He couldn't picture the faker sitting on a throne—it's just too weird! Was that why he left them? _"'Cause after all…it was my fault…"_ No, there was a different reason. He left because something was his fault.

A thought struck Shadow. "Sonic…how did you meet Eggman?"

Sonic looked at Shadow, eyes wide. Then, he looked away.

"I don't want to talk about it…" Sonic answered. "Haven't I said enough?"

"Well, at least tell me how you met Eggman and the rest of your past," Shadow retorted, arms crossed.

Sonic sighed. "Okay…well, before I begin, there's something you must know. Before I was 9, I was a regular brown colored hedgehog. Now—"

"Wait, you mean, you haven't always been blue?" Shadow asked.

Sonic sighed. "Yep. I haven't always been blue. My original color is brown."

"Then…how did you become blue?" Shadow questioned.

"I'm getting to that. When I was living with Uncle Chuck, I started to enjoy running. I always wanted to be faster than I was, but I had a limit. One day, while out running, I accidentally fell into this giant hole. I don't remember much, because my head hit a rock while falling down. When I woke up, I found myself in an underground base. I was laying down in a comfortable bed, but I was scared. I had no idea where I was! But then, someone came towards me. He told me that he found me unconscious, and was worried because I had a big gash on the side of my head. He had taken care of me until I woke up. He was a kind man…slim, orange mustache, and these big spectacles that looked like he had tortoise eyes."

Shadow tried to stifle a laugh. Sonic saw this. "What? That's what I thought of them when I was 7! Sheesh!" He paused to let the black hedgehog calm down, and then continued. "We talked a while, and finally I made friends with him. His name was Dr. Ovi Kintobor…"

Shadow blinked. That name sounded familiar…

"…He was really nice, and really funny. But he told me that he changed his last name because his relatives were known for their great scientific discoveries. He wanted to make a legacy of his own. To tell the truth, I kinda acknowledged him that he had such a big dream. Anyway, back to his kindness…He even helped me find my way back to Uncle Chuck's house! From then on, every day I'd come to his underground laboratory and he'd let me use his treadmill that he made so then I could run faster. One day, though, I started to run so fast, I broke it. Ovi Kintobor was amazed, and told me that maybe I could help him with something. I quickly said yes, and awaited what he would tell me. He showed me a giant computer. And I mean, GIANT! He told me that he was making an invention to get rid of all the evil on Mobius. But, the only way to make it work was with the seven chaos emeralds. I agreed, and every day from then on, would go out to find a chaos emerald. On my way back from finding the six chaos emerald, something happened that never happened before…"

"I can't wait until Ovi sees I found the sixth one! Now all I have to do is find one more, and then no more bad guys!" a 9-year-old Sonic smiled.

(I didn't realize how fast I was going. I was too caught up in what Ovi would say, that I didn't see what was going to happen in less than 10 seconds…)

Suddenly, Sonic felt a slight tug that was pulling him back, but instead, he pushed forward, not understanding what was going on. And then…

**BOOM!**

(For the first time in my life, I broke the sound barrier. I can remember how scared I was and how badly my ears hurt from it.)

The small hedgehog fell to the ground in surprise, screaming. Panting, he looked around, and saw the trees were bent back.

(Luckily, Ovi's laboratory was close, and he heard the boom. He came running out to see what happened, and then, he saw me…)

"S…S…Sonic?" The professor questioned, his eyes wide.

"Oh, Ovi! I don't know what happened! All that I did was run, and then I felt something pull me, and then a heard a big BOOM and then…"

(All Ovi did was laugh at my confusion. Finally, he explained to me that I had broken the sound barrier.)

"…what's a sound barrier?" Sonic asked.

"Well…you wouldn't understand. Now, why don't you go inside and wash yourself. I'll go put the chaos emerald in place," Ovi responded, gently taking the yellow chaos emerald.

"Okay!"

(But when I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, I was in for the surprise of my life!)

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

(Instantly, Ovi ran into the bathroom to see what I was screaming about.)

"I'M BLUE!" A 9-year-old Sonic was screaming, looking himself in the mirror, his green eyes wide with fear and amazement.

(I couldn't get over it, but finally Ovi led me to believe there was nothing to worry about. The next day, Ovi invited me over for cookies. I wanted to help cook, and he let me. While he wandered off to get an egg, I went to go and check to make sure the inventions were going to be okay. But what I saw with Ovi's greatest invention scared me.)

"OVI! OVI!" Sonic cried, running to the doctor now holding the to-be-separated egg. The now-blue hedgehog pulled at his sleeve.

"What is it, Sonic?" Ovi asked kindly.

"Your machine! Something's wrong with it!"

(Ovi and I ran to the giant computer. Its screen was blinking red and it was making a weird alarm sound. I glanced at the doctor. In his eyes I could see that he was sad. All that work for nothing…well, not with me around! I couldn't stand seeing my friend's great invention go to waste, so I immediately ran towards it, in hope that I could fix it.)

"NO, SONIC! STOP!" Ovi called.

(I couldn't hear him; I was too busy wanting to help him. Suddenly, I tripped over a cord, pulling it out of its place.)

"SONIC! ARE YOU O—" the doctor didn't finish his statement as the alarm got louder.

(I was too scared to move, so I laid there in fear. What did I do? Ovi ran towards the computer, but tripped over my foot. Instinctively, he reached out for something, and his hand slammed down in the controls. All I heard was my screaming and a big explosion-like sound. Smoke filled the room.)

Sonic stood up, coughing. "Ovi! –cough- Where are you? –cough- -cough-"

(Nothing could prepare me for what happened.)

"I'm right here, Sonic."

(Scared, I turned around. That didn't sound like Ovi! It was way too sinister and low to be my friend.)

"…Ovi?" 9-year-old Sonic called, taking a step back.

(From the smoke appeared a sight that made my blood run cold. My friend, Ovi was standing there. Although, I wasn't so sure he WAS my friend. Instead of his slim self, he was big, round, and shaped like an oval—just like the egg he had been carrying. But his grin was what made me scared. He smiled so evilly and menacing.)

"No…I'm not Ovi, anymore…" he laughed evilly. "I'm a new person, thanks to you, my friend."

Sonic took a step back in fear. "Wh-what do you mean?"

The now oval-shaped man took a deep breath. "I've thought about it, Sonic. And well…maybe I SHOULD keep my last name the same as it was…"

"Oh…o-okay…" little Sonic stuttered.

(The doctor looked me straight in the eye and said, "My name is now Ivo—")

"—Robotnik!" Shadow gasped. "I knew it! No wonder Kintobor sounded so familiar!"

"Yeah," Sonic added glumly. "But there's more to the story than that…"

The new man smiled that evil smile again. "Sonic…I have to thank you…"

Sonic blinked a couple times. "Really?"

Ivo nodded. "Yes. I have to thank you for RUINING MY LIFE!"

(I coward back, but he stepped forward, menacingly.)

"You ruined my machine by tripping over some cord, you klutz! You were the one I tripped over that made me become this! And most of all…"

(I was already hurt by what my friend yelled at me, and I just wanted to disappear.)

"…you filled me with evil!"

"…He said what?" Shadow asked.

"He said that I was the one who made him become evil—and he was right. I was scared to death, and started to run off, but all I heard behind me was his evil laughter echoing through my mind...but nothing prepared me for when I got home…"

(When I arrived there, I stopped. Uncle Chuck's house was on fire!)

"UNCLE CHUCK!" Sonic screamed.

"You'll never find him in there!"

(I turned around to see my ex-friend in a hover craft of some sort. There in the seat beside him was my Uncle Chuck, tied and gagged. I was too hurt to speak, but Ivo laughed at my sadness.)

"Now I can get payback at you for doing this to me! Now you shall feel pain as I feel now!" with that, he started to float away.

"NO! UNCLE CHUCK!" Sonic screamed.

(I tried to chase them, but the sadness in my heart was like a great weight, and I found myself on my knees, wondering what I had done…)

"…when I went to rescue him, I found out he had been robotized, such as many other innocent Mobians. I learned by spying on him that he wanted to take over the world. But that didn't hurt as much as the thought that I was the cause of all that havoc…" Sonic's voice started to break, but then he regained control and continued telling the story. "Soon, I was found and taken in by two elderly women who were trying to get as many children as they could to safety. I told no one about my past, and hid it with my laid-back attitude. I was thankful I had my own hut, because at night, I would cry myself to sleep. That is, for a while. Then, I met Tails, and we shared a hut together and became best friends. I told him everything, as he did to me. What brought us together was our similarities. Both of us didn't know our parents, while everyone else had known them…but were taken by Robotnik. Finally, we all came together, all us children, and formed a group with a dream. A dream to overthrow Robotnik's plan and make sure Mobius was a free planet. At that time, the Acorns were royalty. They had made an oath that if the decendents of Queen Aleena rise to take the throne, they would not stand in their way. Anyway, we called ourselves the Freedom Fighters. From then on, at night, we would sneak out and raid Robotnik's facilities, causing damage to delay his plans. After a while, when the two elderly women found out, they let us do so. Tails' knowledge of mechanics helped us out big time. But when I was 13, I met my two twins: Sonia and Manic. When we learned of the prophecy, I was forced to abandon the Freedom Fighters and join my sibs to go and find our mother. We knew that if we found her, the Council of Four would be complete and Robotnik would be overthrown. Finally, that day came. But something went wrong. Robotnik had a devise that he just created to destroy an entire world, but instead, it sent me, Robotnik, and everyone else you know to earth, where we are now."

Shadow stared dumbfounded.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"How can you remember that?" Shadow questioned.

Sonic rolled his eyes. "You kinda do if it haunts you all night."

Shadow gave a short laugh. "I know what you mean."

Silence lasted between the two.

"…_and then we'll be together again, right? No…we couldn't…we were to live in different worlds…and I couldn't let my friends down. I couldn't let Earth down…I had to stay…'Cause after all…it was my fault…" _Now Shadow understood everything. Sonic must've had a second chance to go back to Mobius and rule with his twins…but no, he couldn't. Eggman was still around, and he couldn't leave him here to wreak havoc—especially since it was his fault. So he had to be left behind.

"Sonic?" Shadow began. He took a deep breath. "I know what it's like to believe everything is your fault…I did when I found out the GUN invaded ARK because I was created. It does seem like a great burden…but, you have to look at the results because of it."

"What results?" Sonic asked. "All the results I see are people being thrown out of their homes because of Eggman, and Eggman evil because of me."

Shadow shook his head. "Sonic, think about the great friends you made because of it. If you hadn't made Eggman evil enough to make people on Mobius robotized, then you wouldn't have met Tails. Think about it. If you hadn't done everything that you did, you wouldn't have met me, even!"

Sonic thought a moment. "Yeah, and life would be boring!" he added with a smirk.

"Yeah! See?" Shadow exclaimed. "Because of what you've done, you've met fantastic people, and, in a way, made Eggman's wish come true."

Sonic furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. "How?"

"You know how he wanted to make a legacy of his own? Well…I think he got himself a place in history, all right!" Shadow informed.

Sonic laughed, and Shadow smiled. It was good to see the blue hedgehog back to his cheery self again.

"All right, that's enough for tonight. We'd better turn in—it's getting late," Shadow said.

Sonic nodded, standing up alongside the ebony hedgehog. As the two began their walk home in silence, neither of them realized they were thinking about each other's past.

"Hey, Shadow?" Sonic called.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks…for understanding."

Shadow smiled. "Don't mention it."

Sonic smirked. "Okay, I won't!"

Shadow furrowed his eyebrows. "Hey! That's—"

"You said to not mention it, Shads!"

Shadow clenched his fists. "You are SO dead, faker!"

"Faker? I think you're the fake hedgehog around here! You're comparing yourself to me? HA! You're not even good enough to be my fake!" Sonic joked, starting to run off.

"HEY! THAT'S MY LINE! YOU GET BACK HERE! SONIC!" Shadow yelled.

The two hedgehogs chased each other into the night. Both of them understanding each other's past. Of course, as Sonic put it, they didn't know how the other's past felt. They didn't know what it was like to be in that situation, so therefore, they didn't know everything about each other's past. And yet, sometimes, things were better off that way. To be unfelt.

**THE END**

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters. They all belong to SEGA. My version of Sonic's past has all the different versions from the games, comics, and television series merged into one.


End file.
